Five candidates are standing in a by-election in Queen’s Park for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday 2 May.

The seat became vacant when Chandni Mistry resigned. She was elected for Labour last May but expelled from the party in December. She then sat as an independent but resigned in March.

The five candidates are Sunny Choudhury (Conservative), Milla Gauge (Labour), Dominique Hall (Liberal Democrat), Adrian Hart (Brighton and Hove Independent) and Luke Walker (Green).

Each candidate received questions about local issues submitted by the public and was asked why they wanted to represent the ward.

Below are the responses from Milla Gauge, 47, an NHS assistant director of programmes, deputy chairwoman of the Grace Eyre Foundation, co-opted governor Elm Grove Primary School and justice of the peace on the Sussex Adult Crime Bench. She tweets as @MillaGauge.

Do you live in the ward and why do you want to represent Queen’s Park?

I live just across Queen’s Park’s boundary – some of my daughter’s early years education was in the ward and we continue to make good use of the park and other facilities.

Alongside my on-the-ground knowledge, the insight from my local roles as a disabilities charity trustee, primary school governor and magistrate are helpful in understanding the complexity and context of challenges facing our community and I think I can make the difference in finding solutions to fit us.

How were you selected to stand for election?

Queen’s Park Labour Party branch held a selection hustings, with local party members deciding who would be the Labour candidate for the by-election.

I made a speech and took questions from members about my background and their priorities, as did the other four hopeful candidates.

This was followed by a vote by secret ballot and I was privileged to be selected by Queen’s Park branch members as their candidate.

What are your views on St Luke’s school appealing against the council’s decision to reduce admissions by a whole class of 30 four-year-olds?

I’ve been a primary school governor in a neighbouring ward for over two years so I understand the challenges involved.

A school’s governing body is best placed to know what they want for their school and I’ll support St Luke’s to make its voice heard in the council.

That said, across Brighton and Hove we have a huge predicted surplus of school places and we must take action to make sure our primary sector is sustainable and funded properly.

Freshfield Road constantly has cars speeding along it. What will you do to bring speed cameras and crossing places?

We’ve campaigned hard for crossings and traffic calming measures in Freshfield Road.

To prevent more tragic pet deaths and ensure residents and their children feel safe, we’ve made it a priority.

Historically though we’ve been thwarted by the citywide approach to prioritising crossings.

So we’re looking carefully at how we can change that prioritisation which means a clear path to getting a crossing and more traffic calming measures in Freshfield Road could be within our sights soon.

READ MORE: Brighton and Hove by-election candidate profile: Ricky Perrin

How would you tackle the weeds on the streets without reintroducing glyphosate spraying?

We know residents are concerned about herbicides despite controlled droplet application and targeted use to mitigate the impact.

While the problem in some parts of the city is severe after five years of unchecked growth, weeds have never been a major issue in Queen’s Park.

Manual clearing still works in most cases and some residents already do their own pathway. Glyphosate won’t need to be used in much of Queen’s Park and in due course we’ll pursue an opt-out scheme.

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Polling stations in Queen’s Park are due to open at 7am on Thursday 2 May and close at 10pm. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.